Two-Week Vietnam Itinerary - From North to South | Tripiwi (2024)

In this Vietnam travel guide, we’ll share our detailed two-week itinerary starting in the north in Hanoi and ending in the south in Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll also provide tips, recommendations, and our honest opinions about the places we visited.

Our time in Vietnam was part of a bigger trip to Southeast Asia. Check our complete itinerary:Two Months Traveling in Southeast Asia: Our Itinerary.

Vietnam Two-Week Itinerary

Here’s a quick summary of our Vietnam itinerary.

• Day 1-2: Hanoi
• Day 3: Going from Hanoi to Ninh Binh
• Day 3 – 5: Ninh Binh
• Day 6 – 7: Ha Long Bay
• Day 8: Hanoi
• Day 9: Flying from Hanoi to Da Nang
• Day 9 – 10: Danang
• Day 11- 12: Hoi An
• Day 13: Flying from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
• Day 13 – 15: Ho Chi Minh City

Our itinerary started in Hanoi and ended in Ho Chi Minh City. You can follow this same itinerary the other way around. In fact, I recommend starting in the south and ending in the north if you have the chance. I liked the northern part of Vietnam much more than the south.

Two weeks in Vietnam is the minimum amount of time I recommend for this itinerary. If you have less time, it’s better to focus on just one area: Northern, Central, or Southern Vietnam.

You can watch the following video for a quick overview of our trip.

Day 1-2: Hanoi

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and no itinerary is complete without a stop in this vibrant, unique, and chaotic city. In total, we spent two days exploring Hanoi and I think it was the right amount of time to get a feel of the city and explore the most popular spots.

In my opinion, most tourist spots in Hanoi are nothing out of this world, but we really enjoyed the city. Everything is so different from what we have back home, and we can easily spend hours just people-watching. The traffic is so chaotic that watching it is oddly satisfying.

Related article: How to Spend Two Days in Hanoi (Itinerary and Travel Guide)

Things to do in Hanoi

One of the best things to do is to get lost in Hanoi Old Quarter’s narrow streets and see the hustle and bustle of what’s going on. You also cannot miss Hanoi Train Street. This is a narrow street where the train passes. It is so chaotic when it’s close to the hour of the train, but super interesting.

Some of the most popular things to do in Hanoi include trying Vietnamese food, specially Bánh Mì (baguete-style sandwich) and Pho bo (broth with noddles and meat) and trying French pastries and egg coffee in French-inspired cafes—you cannot miss The Note Coffee, one of the most unique cafes in Vietnam.

For cultural and historic spots, don’t miss the Temple of Literature, Ngoc Son Temple, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and St Joseph’s Cathedral.

If you want to get some nice pictures with the colorful incense sticks, then you have to visit Quang Phu Cau (also called incense village).

Where to stay in Hanoi?

For first timers, I recommend staying in Hanoi Old Quarter within walking distance to the Hoàn Kiém Lake. There you’ll be close to most places of interest. We stayed in two different hotels in Hanoi, and none of them were great, but they were super affordable. Here are some recommendations:

• Budget:Hanoi Boutique House
• Mid-range:Hanoi Chic Boutique Hotel
• Luxury:Minerva Church Hotel

Day 3: Going from Hanoi to Ninh Binh

From Hanoi, you can get on a minibus or get on the train to Ninh Binh. You can see and book from the several options available on12GoAsia. You can also easily ask at your accommodation to sort out transportation for you.

We took the train and got our tickets at the train station the day before, but we could have bought them on12GoAsiafor better convenience. After arriving at Ninh Binh train station, you’ll need to get on a taxi to Tam Coc. They’ll be waiting for you at the exit.

The journey from Hanoi to Ninh Binh takes around two hours. We took the 6 AM train so we had the whole day to explore.

Day 3 – 5: Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh was my favorite place in Vietnam. Probably because I’m more a nature person than a city enthusiast. Ninh Binh is also called “Ha Long Bay on land”. You’ll see rice fields surrounded by limestone karsts, amazing viewpoints, scenic boat rides, and great temples.

Ninh Binh is an awesome place to rent a motorbike in Vietnam because there is little traffic, the roads are in relatively good condition, the terrain is mainly flat and the landscapes are beautiful.

Related article: Ninh-Binh Travel Guide: 3-Day Itinerary and 8 Best Things to Do

We suggest three days in Ninh Binh, but you can check most of the recommended places in just two days if you wake up super early. However, if it were today, I would have spent four days.

Things to do in Ninh Binh

Some of the most popular things to do in Ninh Binh include going in scenic boat rides in Tam Coc and Trang An, climbing to the viewpoints in the Mua Caves, and Bich Dong Pagoda.

We also visited Bai Dinh pagoda. It was not initially in our plans, but we absolutely recommend it. It is a huge complex with multiple temples and amazing views. If you have time don’t skip this place. Also add Hoa Lua Ancient Capital to your itinerary.

Two to three full days in Ninh Binh is a good amount of time. Don’t skip Ninh Binh, it was one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen in our trip to Vietnam. Consider spending some time there, not just a day trip. The accommodation is very affordable and with great quality for the price you pay.

Where to Stay in Ninh Binh?

In Ninh Binh, you’ll want to stay in Tam Coc, which serves as a great base for exploring nearby attractions. Additionally, you’ll find lots of beautiful and affordable accommodation options.

We recommend the place we stayed at. It was beautifully inserted in the landscape, had a great pool, the rooms were big, spacious, and clean, and it was super affordable. Click the following link to check out that place: Tam Coc Minh Hung Homestay.

Here are some recommendations according to your budget:

• Nham Village Resort(Luxury)
• Tam Coc Minh Hung Homestay(budget—the one we stayed at)
• Tam Coc Windy Fields(with beautiful pool overlooking the limestone karts) (mid-range)

Day 6 – 7: Ha Long Bay

When visiting Vietnam, you cannot miss Halong Bay, one of the new seven wonders of the natural world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in different shapes and sizes and the landscape is truly beautiful. The best way to explore Ha Long Bay is going on a cruise. The cruises depart from the Tuan Chau harbor, which is approximately a 3-hour drive from Hanoi or Ninh Binh.

You can choose to spend a day, two, or three days in Ha Long Bay, and there are cruises available for all budgets. You can read our guide about how to choose an Ha Long Bay cruise and what our cruise looked like.

Related article: Halong Bay Cruise – What to Expect and How to Choose One

We opted for a “luxury cruise,” which was a great experience, but it also involved too much “mass tourism.” We did a bamboo paddleboat ride and it was far from authentic. I liked the boat rides in Nih Binh much more.

We went with Dora cruises and our room was a real luxury. We booked our tour using GetYourGuide. Since this is a relatively expensive activity, it would be great if you have some discount coupons.

We went directly from Ninh Binh to our cruise in Ha Long Bay without the need to go to Hanoi again. Most companies offer pick-up in Hanoi and Ninh Binh.

Day 8: Hanoi

After our Ha Long Bay cruise, we went back to Hanoi and spent another day seeing other landmarks we hadn’t seen on our first days. We also took the opportunity to have dinner in our favorite place, the Hai San Seafood restaurant.

We also needed some time to get some work done—we can work remotely. If you don’t have much time, you can go right away to Da Nang and start exploring central Vietnam.

Day 9: Flying from Hanoi to Da Nang

From Hanoi, we flew to Da Nang to explore Central Vietnam. There’s also a train or bus from Hanoi to Da Nang, but it takes a lot of time.

Most domestic flights in Vietnam are pretty affordable and I much prefer spending one hour flying rather than more than 12 hours on a sleeper bus or train. Low-cost companies include AirAsia, Vietjet, Vietravel Airlines, and others…

However, a lot of people really enjoy the experience of going on an overnight train or bus. You can check the routes and several options on 12GoAsia.

Day 9 – 10: Danang

Da Nang is a coastal city with several resorts next to the beach. Many people hate Da Nang, but I don’t see why. Even though the city doesn’t have much charm, it is a great base to explore nearby attractions, it has a relatively good beach and a great Saturday Night market. If you like seafood, you’ll be in paradise here. This must be one of the cheapest places to have lobster.

Related article: Best Things to Do in Danang and Hoi An (Central Vietnam)

Things to do in Danang

Danang is home to the famous dragon bridge that spits fire every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 PM. So, if you can make it to Danang on a weekend, that would be a great bonus.

Danang is a good base to explore attractions like the Lady Buddha, the Hai Van Pass, and the Marble Mountains.

TheMarble Mountainswere my favorite place in this area. It is a group of five mountains named after the five natural elements.

Danang is also relatively close to Hue, the Imperial City, which you can get to on a short train ride. I recommend you visit that place because it seems worth it, even though we couldn’t fit it into our itinerary due to bad weather.

Another very popular place that is relatively close to Da Nang is the Instagram-famous Golden Hands Bridge. We opted to skip this place because the weather was bad and the entrance tickets and the ride to get there were a bit excessive,

Due to the weather conditions at the time, we didn’t visit other interesting locations in central Vietnam like Hue, Phong Nha, or Da Lat — make sure you take a look at those places because they definitely seem worth exploring.

Where to Stay in Danang?

In Danang, there is no shortage of great hotels with rooftop infinity pools for very reasonable prices. There are also lots of luxury resorts in front of the beach.

Here are some suggestions:

• Budget:Merry Land Hotel Da Nang
• Mid-range:Stella Maris Beach Danang
• Mid-range:Ponte Boutique Da Nang

Day 11- 12: Hoi An

Hoi An, also known as the City of lanterns is one of the most beautiful villages in Vietnam and, it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

It’s just 45 minutes away by car from Da Nang. For this reason, many people opt to stay exclusively in Hoi An and skip Da Nang.

Things to do in Hoi An

The best way toexplore Hoi Anis to get lost in its beautiful streets in the old town. You can also buy a ticket to visit several temples, ancient houses, and museums.

In Hoi An, the whole place around the river is very charming and picturesque. It is even more spectacular at night when the river fills with little boats with lit lanterns. It’s so beautiful! You can get on a boat or enjoy this magical setting from the shore or the bridge.

Hoi An is also one of the best places to get custom-made clothes or shoes. They have them ready in 24 hours. I bought two pairs of leather sandals for a very reasonable price and I’m very satisfied with them. Don’t forget you always need to bargain the prices.

Hoi An is also a short distance from the popular coconut boat rides. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad on the day we planned to do this activity.

Where to Stay in Hoi An?

In Hoi An, we stayed in a nice homestay close to the old town. The place is called “Nu Ni Homestay“. The staff was nice, the room was clean and spacious and it even had an indoor swimming pool great for kids. If you’re looking for a good budget place I recommend this one.

Here are some other suggestions:

• Budget:Nu Ni Homestay
• Mid-range:Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa
• Luxury:Little Riverside Hoi An . A Luxury Hotel & Spa

Weather in Central Vietnam

Vietnam is a very long country, so the weather varies in each place depending on the time of the year. Our visit to Vietnam happened in November, which is one of the worst times to visit Central Vietnam. Because of that, we missed a lot in this area.

We had three good days and one very bad day with heavy rain. Some roads got flooded, and we couldn’t even leave our hotel that day. Keep this in mind when planning your Vietnam itinerary and be prepared to change your plans if you’re visiting during the off-season.

Day 13: Flying from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City

From Da Nang, we caught a flight to the south, Ho Chi Minh City, also called Saigon. There are also bus and train routes from Central Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City, but once again they take a lot of time, and the domestic flights in Vietnam are quite cheap.

Day 13 – 15: Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is a more “modern” city, much less authentic than the other places in Vietnam. It has a lot of European influence, so if you’ve never been to Europe before, there is some architecture that you’ll like. Otherwise, it’s not much special.

3 Days in Ho Chi Minh City

Day 1

• Little Hanoi Cafe
• City Hall
• Saigon post office
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• Tan Dinh Church

Day 2

• Mekong Delta Tour

Day 3

• Visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels

Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City

If you like shopping and French-inspired Instagramable coffee shops, you’ll probably like Ho Chi Minh City. That’s not much of my travel style, but I have to admit that the egg coffee and coconut coffee were quite good, and the French pastries were delicious for a fraction of the price you would find in France. I especially liked having breakfast at the Little Hanoi cafe—you cannot miss it.

Some of the most popular buildings to include in your itinerary are the City Hall (in French colonial style), Notre Dame Cathedral, Tan Dinh Church (pink church), and Saigon Post Office.

To learn more about the American-Vietnam War, explore the War Remnants Museum—we spent a whole afternoon there.

“If you want to buy ‘fake’ branded items, including bags, shoes, watches, and more, you cannot miss Cho Ben Thanh market. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this market much. I felt the sellers were rude; they wanted 4€ for a souvenir fridge magnet and were not willing to negotiate. For buying replicas of well-known brands, I much preferred the MBK Center in Bangkok.”

Ho Chi Minh City is a great starting point to explore the Mekong Delta. We went on an organized day tour of the Mekong Delta, but it was too mass tourism to be enjoyable. If you’re a bit more adventurous and have the time, I recommend doing more research and exploring the Mekong Delta on your own, outside mass-tourism tours.

Finally, another popular activity to do in Ho Chi Minh City is visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels. However, after reading some reviews, and opinions about that place, we decided to skip it.

If you’re interested in visiting this place, there are tours that combine the Cu Chi Tunnels with a tour to the Mekong Delta.

Best Time to Visit Vietnam

The weather in Vietnam varies a lot by region and depending on the time of the year. So, it’s a bit tricky to get the best weather conditions in all regions simultaneously.

The best time to visit Vietnam is generally between November and April.

• Northern Vietnam (Hanoi and the north):
  • May to October: Hot, humid, and high rainfall
  • November to April: Cooler and dry
  • Far north (December & January): Particularly cold
• Central Vietnam:
  • January to August: Hot and dry
  • September to November: High levels of rainfall
• Southern Vietnam:
  • November to April: Dry and hot
  • May to October: Warm and wet, with peak rainfall in June, July, and August

We visited Vietnam in November. We had good weather in Hanoi and Ninh Binh (not very humid and not that hot). In central Vietnam, we caught heavy rain (with floods in Hoi An). In Ho Chi Minh City, it was extremely hot and humid.

How to Get Internet in Vietnam?

You can get a SIM/eSIM card at most airports, and almost every tourist place sells SIM cards, including small shops, guesthouses, travel agencies, and more.

eSIM Card for Multiple Countries

In our case, we got an eSIM card fromMayathat covered several countries in Southeast Asia. This was very convenient because we were visiting multiple countries in two months and we didn’t need to bother buying a card in each country.

Maya offers great packageswhen you’re traveling to multiple countries in a short time. We also used it in Europe during a road trip.Learn more about Maya packages here.

eSIM Card for Individual Countries

If you’re going just to Vietnam, or an individual country, theAiralo appusually offers better options. We also used Airalo in different countries and it worked just fine.

If you use myreferral code on Airalo, you’ll get a 3$ credit. Use the referral code below on your first purchase:

SARA0837

Our Vietnam Travel Guides

If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, we recommend checking our other Vietnam travel guides for more detailed information about each place in the itinerary.

Finally, you can use our links to book accommodation and activities and find cheap flights. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting our work.

Where to Go After Vietnam?

In our case, after Ho Chi Minh City, we caught a flight to Bangkok. From there, we got another flight to Krabi to start exploring the southern part of Thailand. We have more than 10 free Thailand travel guides that you may like:

• »All our Thailand Travel Guides«

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